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View synonyms for

pure

[ pyoor ]

adjective

purer, purest.
  1. free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind; free from extraneous matter:

    pure gold;

    pure water.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

  2. unmodified by an admixture; simple or homogeneous.
  3. of unmixed descent or ancestry:

    a pure breed of dog.

  4. free from foreign or inappropriate elements:

    pure Attic Greek.

  5. clear; free from blemishes:

    pure skin.

  6. (of literary style) straightforward; unaffected.
  7. abstract or theoretical ( applied ):

    pure science.

  8. without any discordant quality; clear and true:

    pure tones in music.

  9. absolute; utter; sheer:

    to sing for pure joy.

  10. being that and nothing else; mere:

    a pure accident.

  11. clean, spotless, or unsullied:

    pure hands.

  12. untainted with evil; innocent:

    pure in heart.

    Synonyms: ,

  13. physically chaste; virgin.
  14. ceremonially or ritually clean.
  15. free of or without guilt; guiltless.
  16. independent of sense or experience:

    pure knowledge.

  17. Biology, Genetics.
    1. containing only one characteristic for a trait.


pure

/ ʊə /

adjective

  1. not mixed with any extraneous or dissimilar materials, elements, etc

    pure nitrogen

  2. free from tainting or polluting matter; clean; wholesome

    pure water

  3. free from moral taint or defilement

    pure love

  4. prenominal (intensifier)

    pure stupidity

    a pure coincidence

  5. (of a subject, etc) studied in its theoretical aspects rather than for its practical applications Compare applied

    pure mathematics

    pure science

  6. (of a vowel) pronounced with more or less unvarying quality without any glide; monophthongal
  7. (of a consonant) not accompanied by another consonant
  8. of supposedly unmixed racial descent
  9. genetics biology breeding true for one or more characteristics; homozygous
  10. music
    1. (of a sound) composed of a single frequency without overtones
    2. (of intervals in the system of just intonation) mathematically accurate in respect to the ratio of one frequency to another
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈܰԱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ܰn noun
  • p·ܰ adjective
  • p·ܰly adverb
  • hyper·ܰn noun
  • p·ܰ adjective
  • ܲ·ܰ adjective
  • ܲ·ܰly adverb
  • un·ܰn noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pure1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pur, from Old French, from Latin ūܲ “clean, unmixed, plain, pure”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pure1

C13: from Old French pur, from Latin ūܲ unstained
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Synonym Study

See clean.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Caldwell’s narrative was pure victimhood: He argued that his Pentagon tenure threatened “established interests,” and he dismissed leak accusations.

From

A pure popcorn movie would pick fireworks over fleeing to safety, especially when the common wisdom of the time was that sequels were dreck.

From

The Becket Fund's efforts to get around this problem rely on pure bad faith, by misrepresenting or even lying about what's in the books to make it seem like they're sexually explicit.

From

This sounds like the replicator machines on Star Trek, which are able to produce food and drink from pure energy.

From

It is true that, unlike suitcases past, when I look at my Rimowas, they bring me memories rather than pure dread — even, yes, the BB bag.

From

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Purdypure and simple